NFL Draft Profile: Cameron Thomas, Defensive Line, San Diego State Aztecs
#99
Pos: DL
Ht: 6040
Wt: 267
Hand: 1028
Arm: 3248
Wing: 7928
Bench: 24
DOB:
Eligibility: 2022
Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad High School
Cameron Thomas
San Diego State Aztecs
One-Liner:
Versatile defensive lineman who plays with urgency and decisive and violent hands.
Pros:
Versatile defensive lineman who aligns in a four-point stance anywhere from zero to seven technique, most frequently at three and five-technique. From the interior he is quick and urgent off the ball, getting quick penetration. Thomas plays with very precise hands, often beating the punch of blockers. Recognizing lanes, he takes advantage of oversetting blockers to counter inside. He combines his quick get-off with an effective swim move. His push-pull move works thanks to violent hands. On the edge, Thomas extends to keep tackles hands out of his frame. He transitions a double hand swipe to a rip to win the outside shoulder where he has above-average bend at his size, turning the corner at reduced speed. Rushing with high urgency, he fights through multiple blockers and makes effort plays. His play strength allows him to keep churning when in gaps. Thomas uses his active and violent hands to stack and shed in the run. He consistently enforces his will, moving blockers and collapsing from the backside. Thomas stays square and can attach either shoulder when moving laterally.
Cons:
Below average snap timing causes him to be late off the ball. Thomas is not explosive when closing and generates little knockback converting speed to power. He fails to use his long arm and bull rush often enough to establish it as a threat. When blockers latch he is slow to get their hands out of his frame. A poor tackler, Thomas misses a lot of tackles. His eagerness to get upfield hurts him on screens and when he is unblocked.
Summary:
Defensive lineman with inside-out versatility who plays with urgency and lacks burst. Thomas possesses violent and decisive hands to beat the punch of blockers. He is unable to establish a power threat and currently has tweener size. Thomas projects as a starting three-technique who can play the occasional early down on the edge after he adds more weight in the offseason. His hand usage should allow him to become a quality pass rusher and run defender for his rookie contract and beyond.
Background:
Cameron Thomas attended Carlsbad high school in California where he totaled 88 tackles the final two years to go along with five tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. In addition, on offense as a tight end he had 22 receptions for 294 yards and four touchdowns. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star recruit, the 1,827th-best recruit nationally, the 101st-ranked weak side defensive end recruit in the country and the 205th recruit in the state of California.
Thomas committed to SDSU and redshirted his true freshman season in 2018. In 2019, he was named an All-Mountain West First-Team selection as voted on by the league’s coaches and was the only freshman on the list. He started 12 games at defensive tackle and finished with 49 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. In 2020, he moved to defensive end and was named an all-Mountain West First-Team selection by the league’s media and coaches, becoming just the second Aztec defensive lineman in program history to earn first-team all-MW honors multiple times. He started eight games and finished with 35 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. In 2021, he started all 14 games and finished with 71 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He was a semi-finalist for the Bednarik Award, given to the most outstanding defensive player.
Grades:
Current Player Value/Potential Player Value
7.8/8.6
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